School Tours: Every Picture Tells a Story
Grades 3–12
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This tour looks at paintings as unfolding stories with multiple perspectives. Students learn to "read" works of art by identifying characters, setting, and plot, and creating dialogue. Through careful looking and conversation, students are encouraged to develop their own interpretations and ideas.
Looking and Learning Skills
During four or five tour stops, students engage in activities—such as looking exercises, small group work, and sketching—that foster conversations about works of art. The following skills are promoted:
- Making and articulating careful observations
- Formulating questions that demonstrate curiosity and engagement
- Examining paintings from the perspectives of peers, the artists, and the people in the paintings
- Comparing and connecting different paintings
- Reasoning with evidence from the artworks themselves—developing narratives based on what's seen in the work of art
- Connecting new ideas learned from the tour to prior knowledge and experience
Group Size: Up to 60 students
Length: 60 minutes for grades 3–5, 75 minutes for grades 6–12
Meeting Location: West Building, Rotunda, Main Floor
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